peach Rosaceae Prunus persica (L.) Batsch var. persica symbol: PRPE3 Leaf: Alternate, simple, lanceolate, serrated, 3 to 6 inches long, often curved along midrib, shiny dark green above, paler below. Flower: Pink to lavender, 1 inch across, solitary but often close together, appearing in early spring. Fruit: Fuzzy drupe, 3 inches across, yellow and red, hard, ribbed pit inside encloses the seed, very delicious and juicy, ripens in mid summer. Twig: New growth is red and green, later turns gray-brown, buds are blunt and gray fuzzy, spur shoots present. Bark: Dark gray, initially smooth with elongated lenticels, later splits and becomes irregularly scaly. Form: A small tree up to 15 feet with a spreading crown. Looks like: black cherry Additional Range Information: Prunus persica is planted in the USDA hardiness zones shown above and may seed into the landscape. See states reporting peach. More: Fall Color External Links: USDA Plants Database Horticulture © Copyright 2016, Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, all rights reserved. Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson